Maradona's Political Legacy and Activism

Diego called himself the Che Guevara of football, and he has his compatriot

tattooed on his right arm with an image of Fidel Castro on his left leg.

His first meeting with Fidel Castro came in nineteen eighty-seven, a year after he

won the World Cup in Mexico. But Castro became his second father from

two thousand

to two thousand and four, when Maradona found refuge in Cuba to

receive

treatment for his drug addiction.

At a time when hospitals refused to help him, fearing the burden of his death,

Cuba opened its doors and, in his own words, saved his life.

During this period, he spent a lot of time with Castro,

talking sports and

politics.

Maradona was also an avid supporter of Hugo Chavez, his successor Maduro, and

Bolivia's Morales. Even though it's his public criticism of

the United

States and its foreign policy that make him a global icon of

anti-imperialism.

Maradona participated in protests in two thousand and four against the US invasion

of Iraq, calling George Bush human trash, and declared that

his heart is Palestinian when meeting President Mahmoud Abbas in

person during

the two thousand and eighteen World Cup.

Maradona called Israel's bombardment of Gaza shameful, and also decried the access

of the Catholic Church.

In two thousand and five, he said, "I've been to the Vatican

and had seen the gold

ceilings, and then I hear the Pope saying

that the church was concerned about poor

kids. So sell the ceilings, mate." Maradona, gone at

sixty. Too soon. We were blessed to witness his wizardry with

the

football, although his hopes for a different world

extended way beyond that.

Estoy convencido que el hermano y compañero Diego, compatriota

latinoamericano,

es el símbolo de la integración de los pueblos.

Além de ser um grande futebolista, além de ser um grande

jogador, o Maradona era um grande político.

O Maradona falava de política, falava de soberania,

falava de América Latina,

falava em defesa dos pobres, falava em defesa da vida.

O Maradona tinha palpite para quase todas as coisas que

aconteciam no mundo que prejudicavam o povo trabalhador e o povo humilde.

Yo, yo, yo soy de corazón palestino. Ah, él es palestino.

Hablamos del país, hablamos de la crisis que tiene el mundo y

me hizo un,

un halago muy, muy, muy jodeado, ¿no?

Me dijo,

pero como ya cuando nos íbamos a ir, cuando yo no me quería ir.

Me dijo, que nadie diga que vos no sabes de

política.

Me agarró un llanto terrible porque fue como mi segundo padre.

Los palestinos le tiran con piedra y esto le tiran con unos misiles que se las

pegan.

Y le siguen ganando tierra y nadie hace nada.

Nadie hace nada.

This is for Palestine.

¿Palestina? ¿Para mí? Palestina. Ah, Palestina.

Yeah, this is from- Ah, okay.

This is for you. ¿Por

mí? For you. Gracias. Viva Palestina.

Es un убийца.

Creo que, que no

es posible continuar así,

como decide

todo por todos nosotros, por todo el mundo.

Porque tenga la bomba y la bomba se haga más daño, no

quiere decir que tenga poder. El poder no es tener, eh,

tiene una bomba y, y matar a, a, a

cinco mil

personas.

Para mí es un asesino sin escrúpulos.